In an unprecedented move, an Argentine court has ordered Google to “uninstall” pirated IPTV service MagisTV App on Android devices, Torrent Freak reported.
In addition to blocking 69 domains associated with the service, the court ordered Google to “immediately uninstall” the Magis TV app from Android devices. Since MagisTV is not available on the official Google Play Store, this measure targets apps sideloaded by users.
Blocking websites that host pirated content is nothing new, but ordering Google to uninstall apps from consumer devices is a game-changer.
In his instructions to Google, Argentina’s Judge Rossignoli said the company must “immediately uninstall from Android systems that report IP addresses within the territory of the Republic of Argentina (as can be seen in the IP addresses assigned to this country)”. “Technical measures must be adopted.” , an application named Magis TV. ”
Commenting on the directive to Google, Argentine prosecutor Musso acknowledged that “this has never been done before,” but defended the unprecedented move as entirely necessary.
“What has been achieved is an unprecedented court order that is currently being analyzed by Google, but we understand that Google cannot deny it. “It’s about uninstalling applications on all devices,” Musso said in a speech in Argentina.
“We understand that this measure will be immediately replicated in many countries with the same types of problems,” Musso continued.
“Once this is done, installed apps will disappear and cannot be downloaded again, breaking the cycle of digital piracy. The only way [Magis TV] What we can get around this is to develop a new app waiting for them to do the exact same thing once we identify it. ”
Google has not yet publicly responded to the ruling, and it is unclear whether Google will challenge the court order.